The IOD aligns its projects and strategic initiatives with current and emerging national, regional, and state priorities related to individuals with disabilities. A majority of IOD grants and programs are concentrated within the following areas:
Assistive Technology, Community Living & Employment, Health & Genetics, Inclusive Early Care & Education

The IOD makes significant contributions to the body of knowledge related to disability through a variety of research and evaluation activities including data analysis, focus group facilitation, model demonstration projects, or project outcome evaluation.

The IOD supports the efforts of consumers and professionals to create more inclusive communities by providing local, regional, and national services, that represent current and emerging best practices.

John O Neill, PhD, CRC

Dr. O'Neill is the Project Co- Director of two NIDRR-funded Rehabilitation Research and Training Centers (RRTC), “Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Disability Statistics and Demographics” and “Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Individual-Level Characteristics Related to Employment Among Individuals with Disabilities” He is a former principle investigator of the RRTC on the Community Integration of People with TBI, and worked for more than eight years on NIDRR-funded research to improve the quality of vocational rehabilitation services for persons with AIDS. For six years Dr. O’Neill sat on the NY Rehabilitation Council and was the Council’s representative working with the State vocational rehabilitation agency to create a comprehensive system of personnel development. Dr. O’Neill also directed the graduate program in rehabilitation counseling at Hunter College, CUNY for 25 years. He is a guest editor for the Rehabilitation Counseling Bulletin for an upcoming special issue on Disability, Person-Environment Interaction and Employment (Spring 2013). Dr. O’Neill is a national expert in the employment of individuals with disability. He recently joined KF as Director of Vocational Research. In this capacity, he will work with the NNJTBIS as a co-investigator focused on dissemination activities regarding employment issues in TBI. Dr. O’Neill will additionally serve as a co-investigator on our site specific research project, assisting with the measurement of employment-related outcomes.